Buyers of cars from less prestigious brands are more likely to be happy with their purchase than those who splash out for a premium marque, according to new research from Auto Express.

The publication’s Drive Power survey shows it is cars from Skoda – once the butt of many motoring jokes – that owners are the happiest with.

The brand’s flagship Superb has a 93.4 per cent satisfaction score among owners – the highest recorded – while the Yeti crossover scored 93.3 per cent.

Kia’s Cee’d also found itself in the top five, possibly thanks to the seven-year warranty the South Korean manufacturer gives all its cars.

The only prestige brand to finish inside the top five was Lexus and its RX, with Toyota’s RAV4 taking the other spot.

At the other end of the table, premium brands such as VW and Audi seem to be leaving owners with a sour taste in their mouths. VW’s Up! had a satisfaction score of just 85.5 per cent, while the Audi A1 scored 86.5 per cent.

The news also wasn’t good for British brands, notably Jaguar Land Rover. Nearly a third of Jaguar XF owners said their car developed a fault in the first year of ownership, while the XE and Land Rover Discovery did not fare much better.

Editor-in-chief at Auto Express Steve Fowler said the negative views some drivers have of more budget brands is now “really outdated”.

“It may seem odd that models from Skoda’s parent company VW and Audi scored so much lower in the survey but when customers pay for a quality experience and don’t get it, they’re bound to feel let down,” he added.